Chapter 46 Chapter 46
Hailey’s POV
The silence in my room after Damien left was suffocating, pressing down on me like a physical weight.
I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the wall, my mind spinning with everything that had happened in such a short time. The shooting at school, bullets flying past us while we hit the pavement. Sophia’s venomous confession that she’d leaked the video, that she’d deliberately put a target on my back. The horrifying threat against my unborn baby, spoken with such casual malice it still made my blood run cold. And then Damien’s silence, his inability to answer the one question that mattered most.
Was I just a replacement for his dead wife?
The question echoed in my head, growing louder with each repetition until it was all I could hear.
Part of me wanted to run, to pack whatever I could carry in one bag and disappear into the night. I imagined finding some small town in the middle of nowhere, a place where no one knew my name and words like “mafia” and “Kingpin” didn’t exist. Where I could raise my baby in peace, away from all this violence and danger and death.
It was a beautiful fantasy.
But even as the thought formed, I knew it was impossible. They’d find me eventually. The Morellis, or the Black Vultures, or whoever else wanted to hurt Damien would track me down. I’d seen how far their reach extended, how quickly they’d gotten information about my pregnancy. There would be no escape, no matter how far I ran.
I was trapped in this world now, whether I wanted to be or not.
My phone buzzed on the nightstand, the vibration loud in the quiet room.
Mom.
My stomach twisted into knots as I stared at the screen, watching her name flash with each ring. I knew exactly what she was going to say, could practically hear the disappointment and fear in her voice already.
The video had gone viral. Of course she’d seen it. Everyone had seen it by now.
I let it go to voicemail, unable to face her judgment just yet.
But then it rang again immediately, and I knew she wouldn’t stop until I answered.
With shaking hands, I picked up the phone and pressed it to my ear. “Mom.”
“Is it true?” Her voice was tight and strained, like she’d been crying or was trying very hard not to. “Are you pregnant?”
I closed my eyes, fresh tears spilling down my cheeks and leaving hot tracks on my skin. “Yes.”
There was a long pause, and I could hear her breathing on the other end, heavy and labored like she’d been punched in the stomach and was trying to catch her breath.
“How could you do this?” she finally said, and the disappointment in her tone cut deeper than any knife could have. “How could you be so reckless? So stupid?”
Each word felt like a physical blow, confirming every terrible thing I’d been thinking about myself.
“I didn’t mean for this to happen,” I whispered, my voice barely audible.
“You never mean for anything to happen!” she said, her voice rising with frustration and fear. “But things keep happening to you anyway. First the scandal at school with those photos, then this video that’s everywhere, and now this? Pregnant by some man you barely know?”
“It’s complicated, Mom,” I said weakly, knowing how pathetic that sounded.
“It’s not complicated, Hailey. It’s a disaster.” She took a shaky breath, and I could hear her trying to compose herself. “I’ve been seeing things online. Rumors about who the father is, is this man involved in organized crime?”
My silence was answer enough.
“Oh God,” she breathed, and I could hear the horror in her voice. “Hailey, you need to leave. Right now. Tonight. Get away from him before it’s too late.”
“Mom….”
“Listen to me,” she interrupted, her voice taking on a desperate urgency that made my chest tighten. “You need to get away from him. From all of this. Come back home to our small town. I’ll take care of you. I’ll help you raise the baby.”
The offer was so tempting it made my chest ache with longing. To go home, to be safe, to have my mother’s support and love without all this danger and violence surrounding me.
But I couldn’t accept it.
“I can’t burden you like that,” I said, tears streaming down my face faster now. “You’re already struggling to make ends meet, working two jobs just to keep your apartment. You can’t afford to take on me and a baby too.”
“You’re my daughter,” she said fiercely, and I could hear tears in her voice now too. “You’re never a burden to me. Please, Hailey. Come home before something terrible happens. Before you end up hurt or worse.”
The guilt was crushing, suffocating me until I could barely breathe.
“I have to go, Mom,” I said, my voice breaking completely.
“Hailey, wait, please don’t hang up….”
I ended the call before she could finish, before she could say anything else that would make me feel worse than I already did.
The guilt settled over me like a heavy blanket, weighing me down. My mother wanted to save me, wanted to protect me the way she always had throughout my childhood. She’d sacrificed so much already, working herself to exhaustion to give me opportunities she’d never had.
And now I was asking her to sacrifice even more for my mistakes.
But I couldn’t let her do that. Couldn’t let her give up what little stability she had left because I’d made terrible choices.
I sat there crying silently, my phone still clutched in my trembling hand, when a sharp knock at the door made me jump violently.
“Who is it?” I called out, quickly wiping my face with the back of my hand and trying to compose myself.
The door opened before I could give permission, swinging wide as Vincent stepped inside without waiting for an invitation.
“What are you doing?” I demanded, standing up quickly, anger cutting through my grief. “I didn’t say you could come in.”
Vincent completely ignored my protest, his eyes scanning the room methodically like he was cataloging every detail, every potential weakness. He moved with deliberate slowness to the window, checked the lock with practiced efficiency, then turned to examine the closet door, testing the handle.
“Excuse me,” I said, my voice rising with indignation and a growing sense of unease. “I asked you to leave. This is my room.”
He turned to face me finally, and there was something in his eyes that made my skin crawl, something cold and calculating that didn’t match his calm expression.
“Just making sure everything’s secure,” he said smoothly, his tone almost condescending. “Boss’s orders. Can’t have anything happening to you while he’s out handling business tonight.”
“Well, you’ve checked everything. Now get out.”
Vincent smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes at all. Instead, it made him look predatory, dangerous. “Feisty,” he said, taking a step closer to me. “Just like Elena. I can see he has a type.“